The Water Bender Wedding
by sparkly red ribbon
Summary: To keep their promise to be together after the war, Sokka comes up with an ingenious plan to get Azula out of prison. Meanwhile, Katara and Suki don't like their relationship and aren't afraid to show it. sequel to Trapped in Paradise and Stranded
1. Prelude

AN: Hey everybody! I'm back into writing again and finally got this done. This is the third and final in my Sokkla series, the first two being Stranded in Ba Sueng and Trapped in Paradise. Hope you all like it :D

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** If you haven't read Stranded in Ba Sueng the prelude won't make sense, but if you want to read it anyway I'll give a recap: Sokka and Azula wake up together with no memories of the night before, and they search the earth kingdom city, Ba Sueng, looking for their respective teammates and trying to piece together memories of the night before. At the end, there were still some unanswered questions of how they went from being together to being "together"...until now! dun dun dun XD

As for the main story, reading the first two is not necessary to enjoy the story, but there are some references to the others that might not make sense- you'll know where they are becuase there will be words like 'deja vu' and 'nostalgia' or 'i remember when...'. But hey- if you like Sokkla then I welcome you to go read them anyway just for the enjoyment!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!

* * *

**The Water Bender Wedding: Prelude**

Sokka groaned as the earth kingdom street bustled with people walking to and fro, but he was stuck holding hands with this monster that was supposedly a woman.

"Can I leave?" Sokka whined. "What am I, a hostage?" he looked at the fire princess, irritated that she was keeping him with her. She gripped his hand hard, so hard that he wondered whether his fingers would go numb.

"NO!" she growled at him, "Now quit asking!" It was about the 10th time he had asked. She knew he was trying to wear her out, but it wasn't going to work. She wasn't quite sure why, but she thought it would be a good idea to keep him with her. Not as a hostage, but as bait for the avatar. With the water peasant missing, he would surely return and she could have a second chance at apprehending him. Ideally, she could find Mai and Ty Lee before such an encounter, but they were both missing.

Sokka sighed as he watched the golden sun set in the distance, sinking below the dusty city buildings. What did this crazy bitch want with him? After she had lost the avatar, she spotted him and decided to kidnap him with no apparent reason or purpose…or at least not one that she had felt like sharing.

"Can we at least eat? I'm hungry!" he whined again. He had figured out by now that she was not going to attack him, making him feel a little braver. If she was going to do this to him he didn't care if he made her life miserable by acting like a jerk. Surprisingly, she nodded.

"I'm hungry too."

They went to the nearest cheap restaurant and ate and drank in silence until Sokka decided that he wanted to mess with her. He had felt intimidated by her earlier, but over the course of the meal he felt himself becoming more relaxed and getting used to her, and he realized- what was the worst she could do? He didn't know that much about her but she seemed arrogant, and so far she had done nothing but make their lives miserable. For some reason, he had been walking with her long enough to not be afraid. But how to mess with her mind? He really wanted to get her good. He pondered it for a moment, then smiled deviously.

"So, you must have men chasing after you all the time back in the fire nation." He said slyly, leaning into her. She almost choked on her food- actually, she did. Once she was done coughing, she looked at him incredulously, not sure what to make of him- BINGO. Sokka had guessed correctly- she was so blatantly bitchy that she was probably immune to insults and having people hate her. But she was probably clueless and shy when it came to romance- from her entourage, it didn't appear like she had much interaction with men her age. This was how he could get her- revenge for causing him to lose so much sleep that one time, and for hunting them down so ruthlessly.

When she didn't say anything, Sokka continued.

"You have a boyfriend? You do, don't you?" He knew very well that she didn't. He saw her glance away from him, determined to keep looking at her food.

"After all, you're very beautiful." She was really enjoying her food.

"And obviously very intelligent." He saw her cheeks turn red, and she kept sipping her drink.

"And you're prowess at fire bending must be a source of admiration among your many suitors." She took a long drink from her glass and continued to avoid his gaze. He couldn't determine the look on her face. Suddenly, she turned away from him and started shaking- he felt his cheeks become warm as he took a sip of his drink, congratulating himself on making her upset- that was until he heard a strange noise coming from her throat.

She was laughing hysterically. She turned towards him, her face splotchy and red, holding herself to keep herself from falling over in her chair.

"You're funny!" Sokka smirked, feeling the pride men felt when they made women laugh. It was an instinctual feeling, especially for a comedian such as Sokka. He took another drink. He had not meant to make her laugh, but as he felt the warmth course through his body he realized it was pretty funny. "I don't have a boyfriend and I probably never will- not that I want one."

Seeing her laugh changed Sokka's view of her immediately- how had he not seen it before tonight? What a beautiful natural smile she had- and how her bangs swayed back and forth and she moved- and what a wonderful golden hue her eyes had- the color of money! Sokka found that funny, because she probably had all the money in the world. He took another sip of his drink, which the waiter had by then refilled, and felt confidence run through his veins.

"You know, Azula," the name sounded strange on his tongue, but he found it an interesting feeling, "I'm not lying to you. You are very beautiful," he leaned into her; it was as if an external force was guiding him, showing him the path- to where he didn't know, but he suddenly knew he wanted to get there fast. She started laughing again, but instead this time she leaned into him, her entire face red.

"I haven't figured out why you're lying to me like this. Maybe you're just trying to mess with my head. You probably think I'm horrid- but you know, you're not bad yourself, and you seem very clever….what was your name?" Is THAT how it was? She'd forgotten his name already! Somehow he knew that he never wanted her to forget his name again.

"Sokka! And don't you dare forget it again!" She took a sip of her drink and looked at him coyly.

"Never," she said seductively, "And don't you dare forget mine," Sokka felt his heartbeat rise. He knew she was playing with him, but it didn't matter- the quick seduction was real enough for him.

"Excuse me!" a worker from the restaurant came up to them. They both looked at him dazed, too absorbed in the other to pay attention. "I apologize! You're drinks were mixed up with another tables…are you two drunk?"

"What? Of course not!" Sokka defended himself, but none the less they were both thrown out of the restaurant for "indecency"- the bastards.

They walked towards nowhere as he threw his arm around her and she did the same to him.

"How could I have ever hated you? You're great!" Sokka meant it- seriously! He wasn't drunk at all- it took a lot more than 3 drinks to get him drunk- really!

"I guess water peasants aren't so bad…" she looked at him, her head resting on his shoulder, "In fact, you're quite wonderful." Sokka noticed that she sounded sincere. "You wanna know something?" He nodded. "Most men are actually afraid of me."

"…I hate to break it to you, but I don't think it's just men." He couldn't decipher the look in her eyes when she spoke next, he just knew that he liked it.

"It'd be nice to have a man that is man enough to handle me."

"Is that a challenge?" She looked away from him playfully.

"Only if you're up to it." How had he never realized this before? It was so clear to him now- he was the only man out there that could deal with this monster of a women and she needed him- just like he needed to wrap his arms around and show her how beautiful he thought she was- he needed it and she needed it- it was so obvious…

He felt the stiffness of her armor as he leaned in to kiss her, he noticed how tender her lips were and unpleasantly how much they both tasted like mead. He pulled her closer, oblivious to his surroundings…since when were they in a hotel room…?

Since when did she have waist length hair?

That armor was hiding a lot….a B cup? Really?

Wait….had he ever even tried this before? Which direction does it go in?

Wow…is that was it really feels like…?

Where had she been all his life…?

Wow…just wow…

…

…

Sokka opened his eyes groggily, turning to the side where Azula should have been to find an empty, undisturbed bed spread. After patting the bed a few times in search, the haze disappeared from his eyes and his head and he remembered the Azula was not there, that she was far far away…

…

…

Azula opened her eyes to the firelight, not knowing whether it was day or night. She immediately was awake, and she knew Sokka was not there. She was alone with the darkness, her muscles aching from lack of movement and her heart aching from loneliness. All she could hear was her own isolation. Before her emotions could get the best of her, as they often did now, she forced herself to nod off back to sleep, hoping for more dreams of Sokka…


	2. The Water Bender Wedding

AN: Hooray!

**NOTE: **This is in line withe canon, so this is post- breakdown Azula. Apparently she goes to a mental asylum on an island after the series ends, but in this story she just goes to prison like her father.

Disclaimer: I STILL OWN NOTHING!

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**The Water Bender Wedding**

DAY 1

The daylight became darkness and he entered the cave where he knew the fire princess would be. One hundred paces down, turn left, and it's the third cell on the right- Sokka hoped he didn't see anybody else on the way. Only fire torches lit his path as his stomach churned with nerves.

As he neared the cell he wondered silently what would appear before him. He knew what had happened to her…

Sokka's insides turned to ice. She looked bad- very bad. She was chained to the floor with obviously limited movement, and her hair had definitely seen better days. The rest he could not see under her loose clothing and the dark shadows that surrounded the room. Her eyes reflected beautifully in the fire light, and her eyes came to life once she noticed him. Sokka felt relief…

"You… kept your promise…" she said weakly, bewildered as she looked at him longingly.

"A promise is a promise," he smiled gently, still stricken by her appearance, "Let's go." He pulled a key from inside his cloak, hastily undid the lock, and pushed the heavy door inward, ignoring the loud creak as it went. She had been chained for so long she didn't know if she would be able to move, let alone escape from prison.

As they walked outside, she realized it was bright daylight, and that Zuko was waiting for them outside. Azula's eyes widened in surprise, and Sokka noticed.

"You thought we were eloping in secret" he was laughing as if it was the most ridiculous thing on earth. She would have smacked him if she'd had the strength, but he continued. "You deserve much better than that!"

She blushed profusely. Did he really think that? After all she had done to them, after what she had tried to do…to his sister, none the less. Did he so easily forgive her for that? Or did he simply not know? She was so confused and her physical and mental fatigue did nothing to help, but she had the distinct feeling that she did not understand…

"I'll take your silence as a yes…" He didn't quite know how he was going to explain to her what was going to happen. Though he was excited, he hardly knew what was going to happen himself- to be more accurate, he just didn't know how it was going to happen. Her eyes scanned him, staying a second too long on his eyes and he felt like she was going to try and weasel it out of him, but then he realized she didn't know anything about it yet.

"You're hiding something." he jumped. How did she do that? Was he that obvious?

"Nothing!" he blushed. It had been a long time since he'd heard her voice, and he had missed it. The cool, smooth tone of her voice almost sounded seductive, and it always could when she wanted it too.

He almost forgot what he knew had happened to her at the end of the war. Looking at her now, he could almost pretend it wasn't true, but he knew that Zuko and Katara did not lie. He was told that she had gone completely psycho, but there was no trace of it now- was she healed, or was it a carefully constructed mask that she was showing him?

When they reached Zuko, the first thing Azula noticed was that the end of the war had done him well. Not even her reappearance could wipe the smile off his face and erase the gleam in his eye. She noticed the same thing about Sokka when she thought about it. It wasn't excitement, but they both looked for the better.

Sokka heard Zuko clear his throat, and he realized that Zuko was probably just as nervous as he was.

"So…" the new Fire Lord started, "Hey Azula." He saw irritation cross her eyes.

"Such eloquence." Sarcasm. Wasn't he the sarcasm guy?

"Things have changed a lot since before the war ended…" Zuko sounded painfully scripted. He saw her temple twitch- as if she didn't know that.

"You and father have lost all power, and your status as a criminal means you should be in prison-"

"We lost power? Oh yeah…I think I remember now…yeah, I think prison is where I was about a minute ago, dumb-dumb."

"Hey I'm serious!" Zuko pouted, clenching his fist. Sokka sighed- as if Azula really needed to hear this, though he knew Zuko was just trying his best.

"Then cut to the chase." She was impatient.

"Sokka and I came up with a plan so you two could live happily, and more importantly, free."

She nodded curiously.

"But we can't just let you free, it would be against the law and show favoritism on my part."

"But there was a loophole!" Sokka cut in, the gleam in his eye brightening.

"Yes, but I don't think you're going to like it. People of high status in the palace can marry prisoners with the permission of the Fire Lord or the high court. After the marriage, the prisoner is free…so long as they stay married."

"It was created when a young fire lord hundreds of years ago sought to marry his girlfriend who was put in prison for a crime she didn't commit."

To her something about this rule, as nonsensical as it was, was weird. Something was missing…

"Then why was mother banished for treason when she was married to the Fire Lord, of all people?"

"Because they were already married when she committed the crime."

She raised an eyebrow.

"That's why it's called a _loophole_! Cool, isn't it?" Sokka said in typical Sokka fashion. But then there was a pause where the reality seemed to hit her. He almost missed it, but her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Sokka squeezed his hands together nervously.

"So what'll it be?" Zuko said seriously. She sighed. Marry the water peasant? Sure, she loved him, had an affair with him…but marry him? The royal fire princess marry some water peasant?

She stole a glace back into the dark cave where her prison cell was, and another into Sokka's hopeful expression.

"I'll do it."

* * *

"Sokka," Katara laughed humorlessly, "Stop. You know this isn't funny."

"But I'm not joking! We're really getting married!" they had been through this at least 10 times already. Katara laughed again. He had convinced them all to come to the Fire Nation to vacation without telling them the real purpose, for two reasons: 1) They probably wouldn't have come, and 2) He was worried that Azula would refuse to marry him.

"It's true. He's not lying." Toph cut in.

"Of course he is. Sokka wouldn't marry our worst enemy."

"You mean second worst."

"That's not the point!" her eyebrows furrowed, as they did whenever she got mad.

"Sokka," Aang cut in, always the true voice of reason. "Has it occurred to you that she might just be using you to get out of prison?" Sokka was reasonable- it was a valid question.

"It's always a possibility I guess, but she has my complete trust that she would have done the same for me."

"Trust? TRUST?" her voice got higher and higher, "It's Azula we're talking about!"

"You didn't always used to trust Zuko, and he broke your trust, but you forgave him. Azula is not a liar!"

Maybe that was a bit of a stretch…just maybe…ok most definitely a stretch. Katara raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Except when she infiltrated the Earth Kingdom disguised as Kyoshi warriors."

"And she lied about Zuko killing me." Aang added.

"Face it Sokka. Zuko's mantra has always been 'Azula always lies, Azula always lies…' What does that say?"

"She's never lied to me!"

"How do you know?"

"I just know, ok?" Silence.

"I really hope you're right. I'll just keep an eye on her for a while," Sokka nodded towards Aang. It was fair, he knew. Unlike Katara…

"So when's the wedding?" venom was dripping in Katara's voice.

"Next week."

"NEXT WEEK!" Katara dropped everything.

Sokka smiled nervously.

"What's happening next week?" a familiar, friendly voice entered the room.

"Suki!" everybody except Sokka ran up to her, excited to see her.

"Hey guys! The Kyoshi warriors and I are on a mission and I heard you guys were in town." After the usual 'hey, how are you' short talk, the wedding momentarily forgotten, Suki turned her attention to Sokka.

"So what's the big event next week? You guys seemed pretty worked up," she laughed, having no idea what was coming. Sokka knew her feelings for him, but he never returned them. Sure he thought she was cute, but she was in love with him and he never felt that intensity of feelings for her. He had realized this when he was staring up at the moon on serpents pass and she was there. He loved the moon princess and when he compared his feelings to his for Suki, he knew the difference between being in love with someone and simply liking them. That was also how he realized that he was in love with Azula. He didn't want to tell Suki, but he had no other choice.

"Azula and I are getting married next week."

He had known awkward silences before, but this one ranked as number one, hands down. He could almost hear the silence it was so heavy between them. She literally took a step back in surprise, but then, suddenly, she burst out laughing. Denial.

"Sokka, you clown! Don't fool me like that. For a second there I actually believed you!" More silence, this one worse than the last, and he hadn't thought that possible.

"…I'm not…joking…" he wanted to apologize because he knew it was hurting her feelings, but showing weakness would only give her false hope.

She kept laughing, her denial reminding him of Katara. She looked around at everybody's solemn faces, who seemed to understand the situation she was in.

"Are you serious?" he nodded. "Well, uh…congratulations?" Her face was hard to read, it was a mixture of so many emotions. Sokka couldn't tell which one was dominant: disgust, confusion, or jealousy.

After a few minutes to which Sokka would have preferred nails on a chalkboard to, she excused herself, citing work as her excuse.

"That went well." Toph said, a smile struggling on her lips. She thought this was funny did she? Sokka temple twitched. And this was only the beginning…

* * *

DAY 2

"Zuko, are you sure about this?" Azula stomped into the room.

"For the last time, YES! It's necessary."

"This isn't going to go well!"

"Just shut up and smile!" They walked further into the room until the avatar and his friends, Sokka included, took notice of them. Zuko knew the group would have to make nice and stomp out any problems now, or else the wedding would be a fiasco. She received 1 nervous look, 2 looks of amusement, and 2 death glares,. Sokka, Aang and Toph, and Katara and Suki, respectively.

Silence- awkward. It was the first time she and Sokka had seen each other since the day he had come to rescue her. Again, she saw the gleam in his eyes. She felt a twist in her stomach. He looked well, and that made her happy in a way she did not understand.

He looked strong, but relaxed, as if he had no reason to be prepared for battle. His clothes and hair were well groomed and clean, a change from the usual scruff she saw in him when he was traveling. He also looked heavier, and a tad taller, but that may have been from the fact that he always stood taller when she was around (not that she knew that).

Azula, on the other hand, looked much worse for the wear. The only changes he spotted within the last day was that she was bathed properly and she was wearing her normal palace attire. It pained him to see her this way, especially knowing what had happened to her during Sozin's comet.

He was dumbfounded when he had found out that she had not only lost the battle, but her sanity as well. He didn't know what had hurt more- the fact that she was in pain, or that fact that he was helpless to do anything about it- or even worse, the fact that he had not even known or seen it coming. But how could he, from the perpetually calm fire princess?

Her hair looked rough, like it had been cut badly, and she looked as if she had lost weight. Her usual muscle definition was missing, and her eyes looked softer. The way she carried herself had changed, she walked with a more casual gait, and crossed her arms in front of herself almost as if she didn't know what to do with them. Her eyes shifted around awkwardly until they found Sokka. After meeting eyes, he saw her eyes light up and a smile invisible to most form on her lips. She unconsciously uncrossed her arms as if to open herself up to him. Sokka's nerves disappeared and suddenly he felt an urge he had felt with other woman, but never her. She looked…

Vulnerable. He felt the urge to protect.

As if by magnetic force, the pair walked towards each other without a thought as to anybody else in the room. They only stalled when they were about to embrace and Azula saw Katara's death glare in the corner of her eye. She was accompanied by another woman which piqued her interest. Her face looked familiar, where had she seen her before…?

"I apologize, but I have a meeting to go to right now. You all know why you're here. I'm not enough of a fool to think that you can all get along right away, but I want you to work out any problems before the wedding." He nodded and left, leaving Azula feeling like a kid in a shark tank. She didn't want to be there. She had barely left prison and now she was being thrown into the world full force. She hadn't even had the chance to have a private conversation with Sokka, her soon-to-be husband, of all things…

Nobody seemed to quite know what to say, until Toph broke the silence.

"And to think I was the first one to find out about you two! I rock!" Sokka couldn't have been more grateful for Toph's care free attitude. If love was a battle field, he considered her a close ally. Azula could appreciate the girl's kindness. She had not interacted with her much, but even she realized a cute kid when she saw one.

"Well I for one don't approve!" Katara said stormily.

"Really? I couldn't tell."

Sokka sighed. This was going to be difficult. She started to storm out of the room when Aang placed his hand on her arm. It had a calming effect on her, and she stayed silent and avoided looking at the pair.

"You're a liar and Sokka is a fool for trusting you!" It pained Sokka to have his sister look at him with such distaste, and Azula noticed. She felt like she should say something, something to help Sokka, something to get rid of this unknown feeling that was boiling up to the surface. But before she could, Sokka put his arm on her shoulder and faced his friends.

"We're getting married in 5 days, and that's final. I know there's a lot between us, but all we want to do is live our lives and be together. Isn't that right?"

"Right," she said solemnly, closing her eyes. She caught Katara's stare. Her stomach twisted angrily, and she felt her pulse beating harder.

"Is something wrong?" Sokka asked. He felt her breathing quicken and wondered what could be the problem. Instead Katara stepped forward.

"Yes, something's wrong. She tried to kill me Sokka." Katara said it with an emotionless tone, as if stating a simple fact. "She would have seen us all dead" she sounded as if she was pleading. Sokka looked down, it was a fact that he had been ignoring, but it was almost impossible to do so with Azula standing there in the room.

"It was her idea to destroy the entire earth kingdom. Toph's home." Another fact. One that Sokka could not avoid, with her standing there next to him.

"She would have killed Zuko and Aang…our friends. Is that really who you want to spend the rest of your life with?" Katara spoke so softly and with such truth that it was hard to argue with her. Sokka preferred her hysterical denial to this a thousand times over. He continued to stare at the ground, trying to find a way to avoid the inevitable.

Azula tried to decide what to say, but she realized she had no idea what her feelings were. This had all been thrown at her so fast she didn't know what to think. She hardly understood the world around her anymore, and she hardly knew the people standing in front of her.

She hadn't had a private conversation with Sokka in months. She had no idea what was going through his mind at that moment, and she feared the worst-an unusual sensation for her.

Could he be thinking about what Katara said? Had he not pondered this before?

"Well?" Katara demanded.

"I love her, and I'm going to marry her." Sokka looked solemn but confident. "I'm sorry Katara."

Azula's blood raced through her body as she quickly became very hot. This feeling, the same one she could not interpret, rose up in her again quickly, as all her emotions did lately, and pursed her lips as she struggled to control them as she could feel them turning into anger. Katara turned towards her, and with no sympathy or sensitivity,

"You don't _deserve_ him." And she walked out of the room with a cool air about her. Azula's voice stopped her at the doorway.

Azula's emotions broke to the surface as they so often had in the last few months. Sokka saw it before she could finish creating a flame in her hand was not aimed towards anybody. He grabbed her and immobilized her arms, but she quickly shot a blue flame from her foot that was aimed at Katara. Katara easily deflected it with her store of water at her waist. Sokka blocked the distance between them as he struggled to keep her in a bind.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Katara looking smug and the others looking shocked. God damn it…why did women have to be so mean to each other?

Azula continued to grumble incoherent curse words and insults as Sokka pulled her out of the room while Katara deflected weak and poorly aimed blue flames. One they were in another room, Sokka released her.

"What the HELL? What's the matter?"

"Whats the matter…" she heaved, "WHAT'S THE MATTER? What's the matter with YOU?" she looked maniacal, her hair was razzled and blue flames were coming out of her palms- he could have sworn he saw sparks. He started to sweat from the heat and being slightly afraid of this mess in front of him.

"You expect me to be able to explain, but it's only been a day since I've been out of prison and seen the world again, and a day since we've been engaged-ENGAGED!" she heaved, her anger dissipating as she struggled to keep tears inside her eyes. She didn't know what Sokka would think of her as she cried there, spilling out all of her emotions like some helpless damsel in distress.

Sokka felt paralyzed with confusion, but he quickly snapped out of it and wrapped his arms around her and held her.

"I'm sorry…I was just so excited I forgot that we are in completely different worlds right now…"

She avoided his gaze as he released her and placed his hands on her arms.

"We can postpone the wedding. You can have time to adjust and to get used to being free again…you can have whatever you need." The words came out before she even understood them.

"You except me to ask for more, yet I hardly deserve you in the first place," she echoed Katara's words, yet it explained the unidentifiable emotion she had felt this whole time, one she had never felt in her entire life.

It was the feeling of receiving unconditional kindness, kindness she certainly did not do anything to earn or deserve. As the fire princess, she had believed that she deserved everything and more, and that the entire world belonged to her. She had done nothing but hurt Sokka, and he was giving her the rest of his life.

Sokka was paralyzed. He had never heard Azula speak that way before. He had known that she had a mental collapse followed by absolutely no treatment except the dark pit of a prison cell, but this was the first time he saw it with his own eyes, and it finally registered that this was not the same cool, collected woman he was used to dealing with. She was vulnerable and exposed, which left him quite confused. He could only hold her.

It finally occurred to Sokka. "Do you even want to marry me?" Azula knew the answer right away. Even though it was all so fast, she had known beforehand that she wanted to marry Sokka one day. In her plans, the fire nation had won the war, and Sokka had become her husband under the fire nation.

"Of course...but why do you want to marry me?" It seemed in her absence Sokka looked better than he ever had…everybody did, even subjects of the fire nation. Why would he want her, the cause of all the misery in the first place, when he was so obviously better without her?

"Why would you even ask that? You know the answer to that."

"But you look so much better now that I was gone." He didn't know why she was saying these things, they were so unlike her. He had not realized that her perspective of the world was so different than his…

Sokka furrowed his eyebrows, quickly becoming irritated. He grabbed her shoulders

"I look better because I knew I was going to marry you- get it through your crazy psycho head!" She smiled, and not the smirk that usually irritated him, it was the smile that he liked- the genuine one.

She hugged him, her tears long gone. She somehow knew that as long as Sokka was on her side, she would be ok. She kissed him, finally, after months of being away from him and months of not knowing whether she would ever see him again, much less kiss him.

When she kissed him, Sokka finally felt at ease. The way she held him felt reassuring and gentle, yet firm as if she would not let him pull away. When she finally let him go, the look in her eyes said it all. She loved him, and she was going to marry him without regret.

But Sokka had not had enough. He had missed her all these months and had gone through the pain of knowing that she suffered in deep dark prison cell when she should have been with him. He needed to make up for lost time- and lost nights. He kissed her again, more deeply than the first time, moving his tongue across her lips. She was taken aback but kissed him back, remembering just what she had been missing all these months. The feel of his body against hers and his arms wrapped around her sent her into another place where it was just the two of them…

MEANWHILE

"Um…we should probably go check in on them. Who knows what Azula might do to him." Toph said lightheartedly, not because she was worried about Sokka but because she was bored to tears.

Katara nodded and the two of them exited the palace guestroom and searched around for where they might be. Toph, with her earth bending, quickly spotted them behind the next door. Toph could sense what was going on, and her childish nature overcame her. She opened the door

"Busted!" she laughed triumphantly. Katara peered curiously into the door way and gasped in horror.

"What do you two think you're doing?" She marched into the room and grabbed a half naked Sokka by the ear.

"Er- practicing for the honeymoon?" Sokka was dragged out of the room by the ear by an incoherent Katara. Azula covered herself up quickly, having a slight feeling of déjà vu, and started to follow after him. But before she did, she shot a glare at Toph, forgetting that it was useless. "little punk" she mumbled under her breath.

Once they were all back in a group, Azula noticed that the mysterious girl's death glare was more prominent than ever, but Katara's expression was surprisingly vacant. She must've been in shock.

Her thoughts were interrupted by loud grumbling in her stomach. It was about lunchtime, after all…

"I'm going to eat," she was dead tired of the palace, but Zuko wouldn't let her leave for fear of her running away or being recognized. She figured with Zuko absent, she could get away with a little mischief. She took the pin out of her hair and put it in an unconventional low braid that hung over her shoulder in the front, a hairstyle she'd never even tried before. The group didn't quite know what to make of her unusual behavior. The braid was mostly a success, although her previously hacked bangs would not stay in the braid, the mis-cut bangs immediately making her look disheveled. Sokka looked intrigued.

"What happened to your hair?" She sweat dropped, sighing.

"You don't wanna know." She thought she saw a knowing look on Katara's face, but she simply tucked the bangs behind her ears and it was forgotten.

"I'm leaving the palace, anybody care to join me?" she was hoping only Sokka would answer, but for his sake she decided to be polite.

To her dismay, they all agreed, even the mysterious girl who she still swore that she recognized.

They all walked through the city, Azula not saying much as Sokka and the others chit chatted about lighter things. The atmosphere had brightened considerable after Katara had for some reason backed off. Seeing them together had shaken her to some degree.

Sokka, still making up for lost time, managed to wrap his arms around hers and she didn't mind.

A few girls in Kyoshi wardrobes were walking towards them in the distance. Sokka saw Azula suppress a smirk and coolly avoid looking in their direction, but it was inevitable as they were specifically walking towards them. He saw Suki wave towards them and they all waved back. He saw no problem until he recognized their newest member…

"Oh no…Azula, you want me to buy you some fireworks?" he veered her in the opposite direction towards a store. Azula liked fire, right?

"Sokka, what-"

Her mind was in a blur. She finally remembered who the short haired girl was, and why she had looked so familiar…

"We can play these fireworks at our wedding! What do you think?"

"Sokka, we own enough fireworks to blow up the entire palace," she started to turn away towards the Kyoshi warriors, suddenly curious about her new revelation, meanwhile Sokka did not want her to see Ty Lee, which would be sure to cause trouble.

"What about these ones?" She continued to look uninterested in what he was saying when he went to his last resort option, feeling slightly nostalgic.

He grabbed his shoulders and kissed her, which he had wanted to do anyway. She immediately closed her eyes and placed her arms on his, which wrapped themselves around her waist. He hoped nobody would notice, and that he could kiss her long enough to make her forget about Suki, which he realized she was interested in. He ran his hands through her hair, which he knew she liked, and she sank deeper into his arms.

"GET A ROOM YOU TWO!" they distantly heard Katara's screech, and reluctantly they pulled apart, both in a daze. "Disgusting!" Katara mumbled as she once again dragged Sokka back to the group by the ear.

"AHHHHH!" Sokka groaned. "HELP ME!" as he was dragged away. Still in a daze, she smiled and simply followed him, even amused by Katara.

"Sorry about that," she said offhandedly to Katara, smiling. Katara looked taken aback.

"What?" she asked incredulously. Azula became nervous.

"Eh…nothing." They both looked at each other awkwardly, as if seeing each other for the first time…the word 'friend' floated up to the surface of Azula's mind, but she quickly shook the notion. Azula didn't have friends, and if she did it certainly wouldn't be with the quick tempered water bender- not to mention the one who defeated her- she frowned at the memory.

"By the way, your hair's a mess," Katara mumbled and looked away. Knowing it was because of Sokka's hands, she was tempted to leave it that way, but she silently fixed it. As she did, Sokka came up to her and started blabbing about nothing. She quickly figured him out. He was trying to stand in between her and the Kyoshi warriors for a reason she could not figure out.

"Sokka, what is your problem? Get out of the way!" she furrowed her eye brows and attempted to look around Sokka but she moved with her. He even tried kissing her again. "That won't work twice, idiot!" she eventually pushed him out of the way. She was weaker than she was before her imprisonment, but she could always one-up Sokka. As she smirked, she saw nothing strange about the group of green robed warriors before her and…

"Suki…" She remembered now. She was Sokka's other girlfriend. It all came back to her in flashes, from fighting with them to steal their Kyoshi robes, to hearing her name from Katara when she came took Sokka away from her back in the palace all those months ago, to their many _fascinating_ conversations at the Boiling Rock where Suki claimed that her Sokka was her knight in shining armor coming to rescue her, to taunting Sokka about her during the day of the Black Sun…yes, she remembered that very well.

It had been a low blow, even for her. But she had been so enraged from hearing Suki talk about Sokka as if he were her boyfriend, and at Sokka for what she believed to be his betrayal. She had forgotten all about that…there were so many questions, and so little time to ask.

Sokka, still determined, grabbed onto her and continued to shower her with affection and meaningless blabbering. For the moment she decided it was unimportant and let him distract her. To be honest, she sort of liked it…

MEANWHILE

Ty Lee, zoning out of the conversation, looked over Suki's head at the gang who'd been her enemies for so long. She spotted Sokka, whom she had always found cute. She saw him hovering over a woman with a long waist length braid. She laughed lightly, smiling naturally and Ty Lee almost didn't recognize the woman who had been her best friend for so long, especially with the braid.

"A…Azula?" Everybody froze, including Sokka, who was fearing the worst. Azula, unknowing, looked over the the mysterious Kyoshi warrior who had called her name. She noticed a familiar braid and face behind the makeup…

She took a step back in surprise. "Ty Lee!" Her instinct reaction was to be happy to see her. She was, after all, her first-and last- friend. Then the sting of betrayal hit her.

Everything between them came back as Azula's smile faltered. Sokka was quick to the rescue.

"Sooo girls-" he looked back and forth hopefully between them. "Nice to see each other again?" he saw the corner of her lip snarl, and he knew he was in trouble.

She started forward, but he grabbed her from behind. "Hardly!" she struggled against his bind. "Let me at her!"

"Azula calm down!"

"Don't tell me to calm down! Do you know what she did to me?" she broke free of Sokka's grip, Ty lee looked frantic as she took a step back. Azula conjured up a blue flame and Ty Lee waved her hands in front of her as a peace treaty. Meanwhile, all of Azula's pain and anger from the betrayal came back. Ty Lee looked frantic, taking a step back laughing weakly.

"Hey…nice to see you again!" It did not occur to either of them that since Azula had been rotting away in a prison cell these last three months and Ty Lee had been busy training, Ty Lee could have easily beaten Azula in a fight, but instead what was between them was the old hierarchy- or bond- that they had grown up with.

Azula quickly maneuvered out of Sokka's grip and threw her flames at Ty Lee. Ty Lee took a run for it and Azula without thinking chased after her.

"Come back here Ty Lee!" she snarled while throwing more flames. The Kyoshi warriors except for Suki, who was not dressed appropriately, quickly ran after their friend, "Don't run Ty Lee!" one of them yelled "This isn't what we trained you for!" another one yelled.

Sokka sighed. There went lunch with his bride to be.

"Shouldn't we go after them?" Katara asked.

"Nah- this is just their way of working it out." He realized this to be true as he said it. He knew deep inside that they both cared about each other-all three of them. He didn't know about Mai, but he knew from talking with Ty Lee and Azula that they had an actual friendship beyond working together. Given the chance, he thought they had the potential to work it out.

"But what if the Kyoshi warriors reach Ty Lee they could catch Azula, and then she'd be in big trouble." Suki suggested. Sokka laughed and Suki frowned.

"The Kyoshi warriors are not going to catch Azula." Not without the help of Ty Lee, that is, but if he was right about their friendship, Ty Lee would not apprehend her.

"What?" Suki caught on quickly to what he meant, and she took it as a personal affront. Sokka didn't care in the least, because what he was saying was completely true, 3 months in a prison cell or not.

"I SAID the Kyoshi warriors will not…" Sokka smiled slyly, rubbing his hands together deviously. This was his golden chance to get her off his back. "The Kyoshi warriors couldn't catch her if she was in a wheelchair." He paused, waiting for her reaction. Her temple twitched.

Katara raised an eyebrow, not understanding why Sokka was saying this. Toph smiled, immediately understanding what Sokka was doing.

Suki's temple twitched again as she opened her mouth to defend herself and her village.

* * *

Ty Lee had become an extremely fast runner while Azula had become slower. She could not catch the acrobat, which was starting to become a reality to her. Her adrenaline was wearing off, and she began to wonder why she even cared. She cared deeply for Ty Lee, but if Ty Lee didn't care for her back, then maybe it was best to let her go. She had Sokka, after all…

Just then Azula saw an opening. She shot some flames at a trash pile making it explode just in front of Ty Lee. An unsuspecting Ty Lee ran into it, trying to skid to a stop unsuccessfully. Azula slowed to a stop just in front of the heap, panting from the run. She looked back quickly and did not see the Kyoshi warriors behind her. Apparently they were slower than she was.

Ty Lee stood up from underneath the trash heap, reluctantly peeling trash off of her well adorned costume. Azula thought it looked rather nice on her before remembering that she was angry at her.

"Eww…trash!" she continued to clean herself with a look of disgust on her face. Now that Azula was face to face with her, she hardly knew what to say. The anger had already faded, and she wished that she had not even seen her in the first place. She wished that she was still with Sokka, and that her temper had not gotten the best of her. She looked over her old friend, covered in filth. As far as revenge went, she felt satisfied. She smirked.

"That's for taking me down by surprise! Looks like we're even," she turned to walk away, ready to get on with her life, her new life, even if that meant giving up Ty Lee.

Suddenly she felt two arms wrap around her from behind- two filth covered, green arms.

"I'm sorry…you made me choose between my only two friends."

"But why her?" that was the real question. There was a long pause in which she pondered her answer.

"Because you wanted to kill Zuko…." There were unspoken words at the end of her sentence, and Azula understood. It wasn't just Zuko. Ty Lee was a caring person by nature, and she cared about everybody. She didn't want to kill Zuko, Zuko's friends, anybody. She did not care for the war, so she acted in the way that most reflected her beliefs.

Somehow, she was ok with it. It was all in the past now. In a way she cursed herself for, she was glad Ty Lee did what she did. The world they lived in today was because of Mai's betrayal, and this was the world, once again, that Sokka wanted…

She turned towards Ty Lee, "Fair enough," and she wrapped her arms around her in return. Ty Lee looked hesitant as if she couldn't believe what was happening. Azula couldn't believe it either, but she didn't know how to let that show. She was happy though, she smirked at her friend and knew it was going to be ok.

"I have a question…" Azula wondered what it could be. "Yes?"

"Why are you out of prison?" Azula sweat dropped. Seriously?

"Found them!" they turned abruptly towards the voice and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors came running.

"Good job, Ty Lee! You've apprehended the fire nation prisoner Azula of the royal family!"

"I have?" she cocked her head to the side.

"This is a huge misunderstanding. I've been freed by the Fire Lord himself." It felt weird addressing Zuko like that.

"Likely story. And what exactly what were you doing attacking Ty Lee?"

"Eh- long story. And yes, I am free."

"Under what conditions?" She blushed.

"I…I'm getting married to Sokka of the Southern Water tribe with the Fire Lords permission."

Ty Lee smiled, immediately believing her. It all made sense, them being together before.

"That doesn't make any sense!" the warriors murmured in agreement. They were right, she honestly thought, but she wasn't going to tell them that. They got in their fighting poses, ready to take her down. She immediately mimicked them, getting ready to fight herself.

"No no! It's true, I know it is!"

"Stand back, Ty Lee! We know your past association with her." Ty Lee continued to stand in between them and Azula, and she suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu.

The Boiling Rock…choosing between two friends…

She pushed Ty Lee out of the way. Ty Lee looked affronted, but stood back.

"Stay out of this. Catch me if you can." She conjured up a whirl of flames and shot it at the warriors, pointedly not at Ty Lee. She used the distraction to run towards where she had been with Sokka last. He and the avatar could vouch for her.

She noticed they split up as they were running behind her. She was growing tired already…prison had not done her well.

* * *

"Ahh…I'm full!" Sokka patted his stomach leaning back into this chair.

"That was good…" Toph smiled contently. Katara looked troubled.

"Are you guys sure we shouldn't go find her? What if she gets into trouble?" Sokka raised an eyebrow. He agreed with her, but the fact that she had mentioned this point at least 5 times over lunch piqued his interest.

"Since when do you care?" he asked looking at her analytically.

"I DON'T!" she looked away.

"You're lyyyying" Toph taunted.

"Who asked you? I'm just concerned that your bride-to-be is going to catch attention. The news of your engagement hasn't been made public yet, has it?"

"No, that's tomorrow…" Katara had a good point though. And Azula was, after all, weaker than she used to be. His protective instinct started to kick in.

"Let's go find her." He sighed, but was still looking forward to seeing her again, and was hoping that she and Ty Lee had made up.

* * *

She realized what was going to happen, but there was nothing she could do about it. There was nothing for her to use to jump on top of the buildings. She was hesitant to leave the alleys for fear of catching attention; the streets were not crowded today.

Before she knew it, one appeared before her. At least they hadn't all found her.

"You're worn out. Surrender peacefully and-"

"Not happening!" she wasn't sure how she was going to do this. If she hurt her gravely, she would be in huge trouble, not only with the law, but for dishonoring Zuko's decision to release her as a free woman. Any criminal trouble within the first few days would possibly change Zuko's mind, or worse, the high court.

She just needed to get past her. She threw flames at her and jumped towards the wall. She ran along the wall past them, dodging knives as she did. As she jumped towards the ground she shot another flame at her and kept running past them, but she was unfazed and close on her trail.

She was dead tired when a second one, thankfully not Ty Lee, found her. She was panting heavily when she stopped, realizing she needed to get these girls off her for good, because she didn't know how much longer she could keep running.

'_Hmm…how to hurt them without hurting them…'_ she realized it was a dead end before she finished her thought.

"What's going on over here?" a few men entered the alleyway. She could tell they were trouble from the way they were equipped.

"We are apprehending a criminal who has escaped prison. As ambassadors from Kyoshi village, it is our honor to help the fire nation."

_Idiots!_

"A prisoner, eh?" understanding dawned on the leaders face as he looked at her. "Well if it isn't…"

She knew she was in trouble. Now it was about 6 on 1…but if she could make them fight each other…

"I bet there's a hefty sum out there for whoever can bring me in."

"We Kyoshi warriors do not care about money!"

"But we do! Let's get her!" The plan back fired drastically. Instead of fighting each other, the idea seemed to be take the prisoner down first, and then fight. She swirled a circle of flames around her body hitting everyone. They all recoiled, but quickly bounced back.

It would have been so much easier if she could seriously hurt any of these people, but she couldn't, so she was stuck to meager attacks. And she was too tired to run.

"Game's up, girly. How much do you think the fire Lord will pay for you?"

"Maybe a lifetime's worth of gold," said another.

"Azula!" Sokka came running in, surprise etched on his face. "What's going on here?"

"Princess here's probably worth a few bags of gold at the palace." Sokka asked no questions and threw his boomerang at the man, hitting the man on the head, knocking him out.

"She's no prisoner. She's with me." He ran up to her, worried for the first time.

The Kyoshi warriors, familiar with Sokka, believed him.

"We apologize for this. We did not realize." One of the girls spoke. He was surprised Suki had not said anything or that they had not seen her with him. But there were more important things at hand. The man who had been knocked out got back up, dazed.

The Kyoshi warriors turned towards the bandits- now it was 4 on 4.

Having Sokka with her gave Azula the motivation to fight again, even though she was tired. Together, Sokka using his boomerang and she her flames, they took out two while the Kyoshi warriors took out the other two.

Once their opponents were on the ground, they noticed the Kyoshi warriors had not been so successful. One man was down, but the other, their leader, was still standing. He was exceptionally powerful for a regular bandit, and they both became angry. Sokka because he cared about the Kyoshi warriors and Azula because she was just damn tired. She was ready to be done fighting- her lungs hurt and her legs felt like jelly. She knew one trick that would finish the job. She walked in front of Sokka.

"You best leave now." She snarled, moving her hand in a motion Sokka was only vaguely familiar with, but he knew right away. Sparks began to fly around her arm as her fingers came to a point. The leader, who was looking smug from being an even match for the Kyoshi warriors, suddenly became vacant.

"Is that…lightning?" the man asked and Sokka knew it was over. He held his boomerang in the throwing position and the two Kyoshi warriors had their daggers ready. The man knew he was beat, and stepping back, he started towards his stuff.

"Alright…I surrender." He was walking towards his bag, which Sokka was not content with. This greedy man did not deserve a single thing he had, he thought, not when he had tried to kidnap his fiancé. He saw Azula smirk. In a loud explosion, she shot the lightning at his bag, and his stuff flew in all directions, charred and broken. Trinkets, food items, and valuable that he surely did not buy lay by his feet worthless. Both Sokka and Azula smiled.

"Serves you right!" Sokka said darkly. The man looked shaken and ran as fast he could, deserting his comrades and his stuff. There was a moment of silence in which everybody reveled in their victory.

"We apologize again. Years of being enemies has made us judgmental and untrusting. We saw her with you, but we thought we must have been mistaken." They bowed and Sokka and Azula forgave them. They did help them after all.

"Hey! I found you guys, what did I miss?" Ty Lee came running in. Everybody's temples twitched simultaneously. One of the Kyoshi warriors turned towards her.

"Just about EVERYTHING! WHERE THE HECK WERE YOU!"

"I'm sorry!" she left as fast as she came. The two ran after her. "Get back here! You need more training!"

The two of them looked at each other, the message in both their eyes clear.

"Thank you."

"I'm just glad you're ok." She smiled, and then she frowned. She punched him in the shoulder.

"OW! What was that for?"

"I almost DIED because YOU came at the last minute!"

"What? They wouldn't have killed you!"

"Doesn't matter! Could you have come any later?" she punched him again.

"At least I came!" he turned away and crossed his arms. She just stared at him, too tired to do anything else….in fact, she was very very tired…it had been months since she had had any type of physical exertion, and now the adrenaline was completely...

She felt Sokka's arms beneath her…

Gone.

Sokka stood there with Azula in his arms feeling a mixture of emotions, all of them good. He didn't know what was harder to believe- Azula needing his protection or the fact that it made him so happy.

An inexplicable feeling of pride flowed through his veins as he carried her back towards the fire nation palace, her braid sweeping over his arms.

* * *

DAY 3

Sokka sat next to her while she slept in the palace infirmary while the others spent the day relaxing. All in all, he thought the previous day had gone pretty well- or at least it had accomplished its purpose- to get the others to accept- or at least tolerate- her as his future wife.

"I just can't believe this!" a nurse said as she wiped Azula's forehead with a wet towel to keep her temperature down. "Three months of living in a prison cell and then this! I'm surprised she even was able to run 100 ft. Her muscles are completely undeveloped for it, much less fire bending!" she kept on grumbling as she left. She looked at Sokka knowingly. "All she needs is sleep. She overexerted herself, and then her body went into shock from so much movement."

Sokka sighed- She had been sleeping for over 24 hours. "If you say so…." He mumbled, starting to become worried. How could he have been so stupid to not realize that there was no way a normal person could be completely healthy after 3 months of isolation and darkness?

Sokka sat there thinking he would leave when Suki came in.

"What's up?" he asked casually. He had no worries about her now. After he had carried her home nobody questioned them again…

FLASHBACK

"Sokka!" he reached the gang and Katara came running up to him. "What happened?" she looked horrified at the scene of him carrying her. "Is she hurt? Are you hurt?"

He noticed that Suki was gone, probably to catch up with the rest of the Kyoshi warriors. He smiled internally because Katara looked so concerned.

"I'm ok and so is she…I think. She just fainted." After a huge pile of questions (mostly from Katara) rained on him he decided to just explain the whole thing from when he reached them and what he could assume happened beforehand.

Katara sighed. "I'm just glad everybody's ok. Sounds like it was a close one." Sokka agreed. From the corner of his eyes he saw Azula open her eyes half way. Her eyes found Sokka's, but he had seen her wake up enough times to know that she was still half asleep. Otherwise her eyes wouldn't have been so kind and gentle looking. He wasn't complaining though. She cozied her head into his chest and muttered something that made his tanned skin turn cherry red. He laughed nervously, looking up at Katara hoping she hadn't heard it. Katara's jaw hung open and her cheeks were pink. Aang looked away casually and started whistling while Toph covered her mouth with her hand and smiled.

She moved slightly in his arms and spoke again, this time Sokka freezing in place.

"I…think I'll be going now…" he said shaking and quickly walked towards the palace, cursing them as the gang laughed behind him.

Suki snapped him out of his reverie.

"I want to talk to you." Uh oh. Maybe he thought too soon. She glanced at the fire bender. "Let's talk outside." He didn't really want to, but he thought it would be best. He didn't want to wake her up and have her ask questions. He nodded and followed her out to the waiting room, where they sat secluded from the other people.

"Suki…I hope this isn't about…" it was hard to say. He didn't want to embarrass her. She placed her hand on his arm.

"She isn't right for you. Just hear me out." She added when she saw his reaction.

"Yes she is- what do you know?"

"You only see her good side. You don't know what she was like to the rest of us." That's where she was wrong- completely wrong. Sokka knew too well what she was like to everybody else. He used to be part of everybody else, after all. And even when he became hers, he knew very well that she was just as maniacal to the man she loved than she was to everybody else, if not more.

"Do you take me for a fool? I know exactly what she's like. Trust me, I've seen the best and worst of her." It was all true. From the time she taunted him into ruining the Day of the Black Sun mission and was ready to attack him with a shuriken of all things to the times she smiled genuinely at him and laughed at his jokes, even when they were bad (which they of course _never_ were).

"It's not that- it's just- she's evil!"

"Is that the best you can come up with? 'Cause I already knew that!" She looked at him as if she were seeing him for the first time.

"Suki…I'm sorry…it would never work between us." He looked away from her. She kept her hand on his arm.

"Sokka…just think of how your life could be different. If you marry her, you're marrying the fire nation. She's the princess, after all…"

Sokka hadn't thought of it like that. After years of hating the fire nation, he had just chosen to ignore that little fact. Her prowess at fire bending had been a source of fear, and then admiration for her…but he had never identified her that way.

"She won't get along with your family- her army killed your mother- your dad's friends…"

"That wasn't her."

"Yes, it was Sokka. It was the royal family- and she was their heir. She's one of them- the same way she's not one of us. She never will be…Sokka, you two are from different worlds, not meant to be together."

There was a large pause. All of Sokka's old fears came back. He was marrying the enemy- was it a betrayal of his own family- his tribe- his cause?

"If she really loved you, she would have changed for you. She would have never hurt Katara the way she did, and she would have never supported a war that would have destroyed your entire tribe."

There was the largest pause yet.

He sighed. "Suki…" she placed her other arm on his shoulder, beginning to embrace him.

"Sokka!" she breathed, finally reaching him. "You can still do the right thing…you deserve someone better," she leaned in towards him. Sokka knew what she was about to do and pushed her away on instinct. He stood up, forcing her off of him. She stumbled back into her seat and then stood up. He breathed deeply.

"That's not the way it works, Suki. You don't love someone because they're right for you or they fit into your life- you love someone because you can't live without them, and you know you want to spend every day of the rest of your life with them."

He had forgotten what he knew by heart- that Azula had at least some good in her and that he loved her for some odd reason. His blind faith in her and the fact that she loved him back kept him with her each day.

"It's over Suki. We're not discussing this again." He turned away from her to gesture that the conversation was over. He heard her footsteps fading away from him. He wasn't watching when he heard her scream.

"Ahhh!" He spun around and saw the side of her clothes on fire. She ran and entered the nearest room and assumed there was a sink in there. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Azula, arm outstretched.

"And stay away, bitch!" she looked at him and crossed her arms. She looked angry, but the way she looked down at his feet was different. "So, what is she to you anyway?"

"If you heard everything, then you shouldn't have to ask." He was annoyed that she had been listening.

"Were you dating her while we…" she couldn't finish the sentence. She saw him smirk, which he didn't do often. She became intrigued. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"It's just like you said. She said everyday that her prince charming Sokka was going to rescue her…but he never came." She looked up at him incredulously. She punched him in the shoulder. "What?"

"I think that's the most…_evil_ thing you've ever said!" she looked incredulous. He laughed.

"Well I learn from the best," he kissed her, but she didn't kiss him back. He noticed her lack of response and stepped back from her. Azula paused, pondering how to tell him what was on her mind- what she knew he needed to hear- what she had long known, but had only fully realized after hearing him speak.

As much as she hated it, she came to the realization that if this was a world where she could receive such kindness, and Sokka could be so healthy and happy, then she was happy with the way things were- Fire Lord Zuko and all.

Bleh- the words sounded disgusting to her-

"You done sleeping?" he matted her hair, which was messy looking, accentuated by her miscut bangs. Those really needed to be fixed before the wedding…she nodded. "I can take you back to you room."

"What makes you think I need your help?"

"And just _who_ carried you all the way to the palace?" She blushed profusely, so much so Sokka didn't know what was redder, her face or her robes. He laughed- he got her good.

"I don't NEED your help!" she started to march out of the infirmary when she stopped. He realized something was up.

"Sokka…"he always loved to hear her say his name. "For what it's worth…" there was a large pause.

"Yes?"

"For what it's worth…I like things…the way they are…y-you know…with your family…and home...and your friends…with you…"

He hugged her from behind, harder than she'd ever been hugged. She felt him kiss her ear and the side of her face and her hair. When he released her he stepped in front of her and looked her up and down.

"Ok so where's Azula and who are you?" she snarled and punched him shoulder…hard. "OW! What NOW?" her cheeks looked ruby red.

"That was most disgusting thing I've ever said and you just had to RUIN it! I HATE YOU!" she ran off before he could recover. He knew exactly where she was going and followed her walking.

Just to piss her off, he walked into her room without asking. He quickly slammed the door shut and before she could make the motion to conjure up lightning he kissed her, squeezing her tight. After months and months of abstinence, neither of them could wait until the wedding.

* * *

"Sokka, Son of Hakoda, of the Southern Water tribe, do you take Fire Nation Princess Azula to be your lawfully wedded wife?" he took one look at her smiling at him serenly in her ornately adorned sapphire blue robes. Her hair was left down freely with a rain colored tiara crowning her head. The robes were thick with intricate water designs that neither of them really understood. The design somehow represented water bending. Her hands were interlocked with his. Even her fingernails were blue. Hell, even her lipstick was a blue-ish shade of purple. He still couldn't believe she had insisted upon a water tribe themed wedding. He himself was wearing…hell, he didn't care what he was wearing.

"I do."

"Fire Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, do you take Sokka, son of Hakoda, of the Southern Water tribe to be your lawfully wedded husband?" She felt like she was floating when she saw him in his royal blue robes. His tall lean body stood straighter than ever as he looked at her eagerly, she thought he looked positively heavenly. He looked like a water tribe prince, which he might have well been being the son of the chief- fit perfectly for a fire nation princess. If somebody had told her when she left home that she would be marrying not only a water tribe peasant, but an accomplice to the fire nation's worst enemy, she would have told them they were insane- to be honest, she probably wouldn't have even bothered- lightning would have done the trick. But now…memories hazily swam up to the surface of her mind, from their first encounter in Ba Sueng, to their first kiss which she barely remembered, to their first _real_ kiss, the long nights in the moonlight that was their secret, the time he willingly stayed in her room, the first time they said those three perfect words, to the time he stood up for her- the first time anybody had stood up for her- to the time she felt his arms beneath her, to the time he placed her sapphire ring on her finger, the one she would wear for as long she lived…

"I do."

"Then I pronounce you husband and wife. Sokka, son of Hakoda, you may kiss the bride." He wasted no time. He had the rest of his life to look at how beautiful she was.

The moment his lips met hers there was a loud applause that neither of them heard as they both wrapped their arms around each other like there was no tomorrow and continued to kiss each other. Sokka by chance heard the intentional cough by the conductor that was code for 'stop kissing now'. He obliged- there was plenty of time for that later.

They sat next to each other at the palace garden during the reception, as was the fire nation tradition, and greeted people as they wished them well. It became mechanic until the gang came, plus one fire lord.

"And to think, I was the first one to find out." Zuko smiled to himself smugly.

"Excuse me?" Toph corrected him. "I was the first one to find out."

"No way! I found out months ago while Sokka was in the palace."

"I found out while they were still in the earth kingdom! HA!" Zuko pouted, clearly being beat. "How did I not know?" he mumbled to himself.

"So how did you two get together? That question's been on my mind since the very beginning." Katara asked, all past irritation absent from her voice. They both sighed.

"Well," Sokka started, "It all began in the Earth Kingdom in Ba Sueng…" there was a unanimous groan of realization among the group except for Zuko. "when we lost you guys and then we ran into each other…"

MEANWHILE

Ty Lee and Mai were enjoying the reception happy to let Azula spend time with Sokka and his friends before they visited her when they spotted General Iroh.

"Hello ladies, are you enjoying this special day?" Ty Lee answered.

"Yeah! I can't believe you were invited. I thought Azula hated you."

"What?"

"What?" she played dumb covering her mistake.

* * *

"And that's how it went." Everybody's faces were vacant from shock.

"The whole time…" Aang sighed.

"Every time we ran into each other…"

"You pretended to be enemies-"

"But then at night while we were all sleeping-"

"You two…wow." Katara finished.

Everybody left, but Katara told them she'd catch up with them in a minute. She looked towards them shyly.

"You two really do love each other. I'm sorry for how I acted." She was mostly looking at Azula. She really did think Katara was a beautiful girl (she was glad she was Sokka's sister). And now that the bitterness of defeat was gone, Katara's water bending she found admirable instead of something to despise. They both could only nod, and she hugged them both. First she hugged Sokka, he was so happy that his family could accept the relationship he was not afraid of anything anymore. Then, with just a moment's hesitation, she hugged Azula. Hugging Katara reminded her of Ty Lee and Mai, and she realized that Katara was a friend. There was no need to say it as it was in both of their eyes.

She got up and left leaving the two of them to themselves. They looked at each other and sighed. It had been a long day, but it had been so worth it.

"You really do look nice in blue." Sokka commented.

"So do you…I'd hate to see you dressed in red all the time."

"…What do you mean?" he was quick to the punch.

"I mean we don't have to live in the Fire Nation just because I'm royalty. Zuko's the Fire Lord, after all."

"Where should we live then? An igloo?"

"Wherever we want," and she meant it. "We have all the time in the world to decide." He paused to think.

"It'll be an adventure."

An adventure it would be, they decided as she grabbed his hand and kissed him, the crimson sunset glowing in front of them.

* * *

AN: Man, that was long! I hope you all enjoyed it because I really enjoyed writing it. For those of you who have read all three, I hope you enjoyed the series as a whole too.

I plan on writing more on this universe, either side stores of things that happened in between the stories or things in the future- any requests or suggestions?

Thanks for reading! Reviews are mooooore than welcome. :D

PS- I hate Suki. She sucks. Sokka and Suki have NO CHEMISTRY! =P


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